This is not the original plan. The White Sox are not built for home runs. It just turned out that way.

The White Sox are primarily built for pitching and defense. The Sox picked up clubhouse guys like Nick Swisher to keep the atmosphere light and fun. They picked up Gold Glove winners like Orlando Cabrera to ensure nothing gets out of the infield. They took gambles on unknown commodities like Alexei Ramirez, who has adjusted quickly to the game.

If you look up and down the lineup, there are only two actual sluggers. Paul Konerko and Jim Thome. Jermaine Dye is in more of the Frank Thomas mode. He'll get his home runs, but he's more of a line drive hitter. Sometimes those line drives get enough height and distance. He was picked up for his defense, first and foremost.

Say whatever you will about Pierzynski. I've heard it all before and he's heard it all before. Why is he the most hated player in baseball? He makes things happen and he gets in your head. If A.J. can get into a player's head, it's that player's fault for letting it get to him. That player must not have the concentration level to achieve success in Major League baseball. The fact that he knows what buttons to push, within reason, just shows how much homework he does off the field.

Carlos Quentin was a nice surprise. He was picked up for his defense and his potential at the plate. No one could have predicted how he would respond this year. Ken Griffey Jr. was picked up more for his veteran presence than anything else. Griffey has declined from a home run hitter into a line drive hitter. He can handle the pressure and has shown that by being clutch with 2 outs.

What happens when the pitching goes south? The hitting tends to gravitate toward launching home runs for offense. A few key injuries to the bullpen, and chaos broke out. Everyone was out of their own comfort zone, so the pitching suffered. The offense then responds by trying to get as many runs as they can. This leads players like Nick Swisher to try for the fences. This gets them out of their game. This is why you see a lot of home runs. Everyone is trying to hit them because it's in their mindset to do so with the pitching suspect.

2008 is a prime example of what happens with a few key injuries to a team. It's a testament to the team that they are in a position to contend this late in September. Can you imagine what would've happened if the bullpen problems didn't happen this year? The White Sox would already be in Tampa right now.

The necessity of scoring runs has made this team into the "all or nothing" home run hitting hitting machine that it has become. With that "all or nothing" approach, you lose a lot of ballgames waiting for the home run. You lose confidence on the basepaths. You tend not to try to steal a base. You become afraid of running yourself out of an inning.

The more strain that's put on a club, the more they are going to lose in stupid ways. This is where you get the costly throwing errors. This is where you get caught in between bases. This is when you try for the home run and pop it up to the shortstop.

A team that is relaxed and confident will rarely make these mistakes. They will capitalize on the other team's mistakes and make them pay for it. I saw this in yesterday's game with Detroit. This was the first time I have seen this all year with the White Sox. I have also seen this type of behavior with the Twins. In fact, I have seen this type of play with every team that's already in the playoffs. No team is immune to this.

When things go south, two things can happen. You either step up or step out of the way. When Joe Crede's back issues sidelined him indefinitely, Josh Fields stepped out of the way. Juan Uribe stepped up. When Carlos Quentin broke his wrist, Jerry Owens stepped out of the way. DeWayne Wise stepped up. When Nick Swisher's bat developed a hole the size of Cleveland, Brian Anderson stepped up.

The reason the Sox have stayed in this so long is because they were built that way. Whether that's through trade, signings, pick ups, or the farm system, the Sox have been built to withstand these injuries. Granted, the last few years have been a real test of that ability. This year, despite the bullpen implosion and despite the offense swoon, the Sox have stuck around long enough to force a 163rd game.

Some team's fans may bitch about their owner's stinginess when it comes to payroll. Some may bitch about this and bitch about that. If everything worked out the way it should on paper, the Detroit Tigers would be in the playoffs instead of the cellar. It doesn't matter what you have. It matters how you use it. I applaud the Twins for staying in the race every year with a management that would rather spend a penny and save 99 cents out of each dollar. Imagine where they would be with more money. Then again, if they had more money to work with, they might lose the edge that keeps them in the hunt every single year.

It's all a matter of perspective. If the Sox should lose this year, it won't be because the pitching injuries forced the offense to swing for the fences. It will be because they lost game 163 to the Twins or lost somewhere in the playoffs. If the Twins should lose this year, it won't be because they were in second place the majority of the year. It will be because they either lost the last game to the White Sox or to someone else in the playoffs.

Put the focus on the game, where it should be. Everything else is just a distraction.

Paul is another castoff from the Kansas City Royals. He has been stuck behind A.J. Pierzynski and Toby Hall on the White Sox, so Paul has spent most of the year in the minors. Paul has impressed the Sox enough to get a September callup in the middle of a pennant race.

Phillips has only appeared in four games, mostly for late inning defense, but he is the first in line if an injury happens to either Pierzynski or Hall. He has shown enough promise to stick around.

This was the best picture I could find of Paul Phillips in a White Sox uniform. It's a bonus that the picture is not from a Spring Training game. The other photo I found of Phillips was unusable for this type of a project. It showed him being bowled over, at the plate, with no distinguishing marks.

I'm not that surprised that he is pictured talking to Lance Broadway in a game. They were battery mates in the minors this season.

Today is do or die. Win or go home. You get my drift. There will be a celebration in Chicago today. Someone will go to the playoffs after this final game.

The funny thing is, this isn't the first time that the Sox were down to the wire. They were the bridesmaid team of the fifties and sixties, mostly to the Yankees. Second place was their fate for most of those years. The Sox had great teams but always fell just short.

Take 1967. The Red Sox, Twins, Tigers and White Sox were all in range of the World Series during the final week. The White Sox finished three games back to the Red Sox, when all was said and done.

1967 was the most famous pennant race, but 1964 was the most heartbreaking. The White Sox finished one game back of the Yankees that year. One game. The Sox won 98 games in 1964, which is four more than their last World Series appearance, to that point, in 1959. The Sox won their last nine games. The playoffs seems a lock.

How did they lose? The Yankees had a late season 11 game winning streak. Heartache is not just a Cubs trait. The Cubs failures and near misses just get more publicity. The White Sox have been there too.

Before 1955 and after 1967, the White Sox couldn't even see first place in September with binoculars. During the stretch from 1955 until 1967, they were in the thick of the pennant race until at least the final weeks of the season, for most years.

Will this be the year that the White Sox win by one game? We will all know after tonight.

After yesterday's gutsy performance by Mark Buehrle, there is no doubt in my mind who the ace of the staff is on the 2008 White Sox. I don't remember a regular season performance so dominant since the days of Jack McDowell. When the game's on the line and it's do or die, you want these guys on the mound.

Jack McDowell ruled the American League from 1992 until 1994. 1993 was the apex of his talent on the baseball field. It could have been 1994, if it weren't for the strike shortened season. 1992 was just the warmup for his Cy Young 1993 season.

Today, Gavin Floyd will need to step up against ex-Sox pitcher Freddy Garcia. Will Gavin hear the call and pitch a great game? Will he feel the ghosts of Jack McDowell, Alex Fernandez and Wilson Alvarez? Will he have the rookie luck of Jason Bere, who was dominant until he was injured? Only time will tell.

If Gavin succeeds, maybe he will get a snazzy insert card like Jack McDowell. This was when insert cards weren't overdone. They were meant to be something special. Sure, this was during the oversaturation of the market, but these cards still felt special. They were harder to get when I was a kid. It was a great day if I could get an insert card of anybody. It was a red letter day, if that card was a White Sox player.

I never pulled a Smoke 'n Heat card in 1992. Green is my favorite color, but the base set for 1992 was just a slight upgrade from the yellow fever that was 1991. In comparison, the insert cards looked great. The black from the border made the Smoke 'n Heat set look elegant and important. This was evident when putting the card against the player's base card. There is no comparison. The 1992 Fleer base set got smoked with some heat from the insert cards.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

There are some great people that I've met through this blog. Too many to name here, and probably too many to think about in one sitting. There are probably more people reading anonymously than I'll ever know.

One of the great readers who has made himself known to me is Johngy. If you've never clicked over to his site out of curiosity, you are in for an in-person celebrity treat. From sports players to movie stars and everything in between, this site has great stories and pictures.

Johngy has been following this blog and appreciated the time and effort that goes on here most days. OK, I admit it. Sometimes I phone it in, but we've all done that. We exchanged a few e-mails and an agreement was made to send some cards my way. I asked what he wanted in return. Just keep writing. OK. Fair enough.

Since he had a friend working in the area, Johngy asked if that friend could drop it off at my house instead of wasting postage. If more people lived around me, I'd save a bundle in postage. Yesterday, a mysterious package with my name and address appeared in a clear plastic bag on my porch.

I wasn't able to open the box right away. I was driving out to Plainfield with my mom for the first meeting of my mom and Tracey's mom. We've been engaged for over a year and they still hadn't met for some reason. As we bonded over heavy Eurpoean food, my mind wandered to the mystery box. What would be in it, when I got home? I was so tired after the long day, I almost put the opening off until today, but I couldn't do that. I wouldn't be able to sleep, if I didn't at least look though the contents.

Wow! That was a tour de force! I feel like I just went through a war zone writing all that. Most of these cards were from my want list. I think I just completed a lot of sets because of Johngy's generosity. Frankly, I'm speechless at this whole box. I don't think I've ever gotten this many cards that hit what I needed at one time.

Friday, September 26, 2008

Even though the White Sox seem to be doing everything in their power to throw their season away, doesn't mean that I have to let my collection do the same. If the White Sox manage to limp backwards into the playoffs, it won't be the most improbable scenario, but pretty darn close.

Even as frustrating as this past three game series in Minnesota has been, I'm still ecstatic about this card I received earlier in the week from Dan of Saints of the Cheap Seats blog.

This is my first silk card and it is simply stunning! It has a tiny window for touching, but I don't think I'll be doing any touching of this card. The scan really doesn't do the card justice. Although, the scanner does pick up on the subtle hint of blue on the card encasing.

As for Dan's trade back, I have been putting cards aside for him and they will go out soon to complete the trade. I am waiting for one special card that I will send along. It should be in my hands next week.

There really is no card back to speak of. The silk part is plain white. The back of the card encasing consists of tiny copyright information and such. There's not much room, as the tiny silk card inside the standard size card holder is the main focus. As well it should be.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

There are risks involved in blind trading. You could end up with 100 copies of a 1989 Donruss Jack McDowell card. You could end up with all cards that you already have. You could be stuck with a pile of crap that's worth $1.00.

Those are all worst case scenarios. The reality of blind trading is that you don't know what you will get. All you really know is the certain parameters that will be followed, such as all the cards will be White Sox, in my case. Usually, you get a good mix of doubles and cards you need. At least that has been my experience with blind trading so far.

So, Spiff and I agreed on a blind trade of 150 cards. 150 Rangers for 150 White Sox. I threw in a couple of extra cards, for no other reason than I do that from time to time. I try to stay away from sending more than one of the same card if possible. This way, my collection of tradable cards stretches further and the other person gets maximum value. It's a win-win situation!

OK, this is the point of every trade where it flies into the danger zone. Why the danger zone? I'm a closet Kenny Loggins fan. But enough about that. The danger zone refers to the least amount of cards that I would need. This period generally starts around 1989 and ends somewhere around 1993. The closer the year is to the center of that time period, the more likely I will already have it. I am missing a few key cards from that period, but generally I keep getting the same cards.

Can a team bring a name from the past and plug him into the lineup for a spark? Sometimes yes, but mostly no. It usually doesn't bode well trying to recapture magic from an aging pitcher. It didn't help much here either.

The White Sox tried to bring a starting pitcher, in Loaiza, and plug him into the long relief role in the bullpen. While the experiment wasn't a complete failure, Esteban ended up going on the DL and effectively ended his second stint with the Sox. He didn't pitch badly, but he didn't pitch well either.

Why did I choose this photo? Frankly, because I couldn't find any others of Esteban in a White Sox uniform. At least none that were from 2008. You'd think that if a player is coming back to a team he was successful with and he made three appearances that there would be one photo of him. Sadly, no.

I tried to find a photo that didn't show his number, but I couldn't find a good enough image to use. Esteban wore the number 21 during his first tour with the White Sox. In his brief cameo in 2008, he wore number 48.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

I was given the task to commemorate Mike Squires last Major League game. Given the information of September 23rd as being the anniversary, I dug into the matter. What I found was interesting only to Mike Squires fans. First, the facts.

Mike spent all of his Major League career with the White Sox.

Mike's first game was on September 1, 1975.

Mike's first hit was on September 1, 1975 at home vs. the Royals.

He primarily played first base, but became the first left handed catcher since 1958, when he caught a game in the late innings in 1980.

In 1983, he became the first left handed third baseman in roughly fifty years.

He was a vital part of the 1983 championship season.

Mike's last Major League hit was on August 26, 1984 at home vs. the Royals.

Mike's last Major League plate appearance was on August 31, 1984.

Mike's last game in 1984 was on September 23.

Mike's last run scored was on September 23, 1985.

Mike's last game was on September 24, 1985.

Just looking at those numbers might seem odd. Mike had his first and last hit against the Royals at Comiskey Park. The biggest eye opener was the length of time between Mike's last hit and Mike's last game. Over one year.

Of course there is a valid explanation for that. Mike was released before the start of the 1985 season. He did not catch on with anyone else. When the Sox were looking for help, they signed Mike to a contract on September 1, 1985. He only played in two games in 1985. Both were late inning switches, where he did not get to bat. His last game was on September 24, 1985. That just goes to show that there are explanations for large gaps in a player's career.

Although Mike didn't go out with a bang, he always played hard. It's still a testimony that he stayed with one team in a career that spanned 11 years. Here's to you Mike. Thanks for giving us some thrills on the South Side.

THE PITCHCubsSuck.com says it best – “Wrigley Field is full of tourists and people who come to be seen, get a tan, stare at chicks and ivy, and above all: get drunk.”

Despite clearly being a better team in a tougher division with the best fans the league has to offer, the White Sox are largely ignored by the Chicago establishment. Let’s show the Cubs fans who’s boss by taking over the Cubby Bear for the first game of the playoffs.

If we can get at least 400 people to show up early on game day and claim a spot, Cubs fans will make up less than half of the patrons of their flagship location.

This thing isn’t on unless we get 400 people, so please tell everyone you know to join. If we hit 400, we’ll notify you and you are expected to be there on Wednesday to stand with your fellow Sox fans.

See you there.

OBJECTIVE White Sox fans will take over the Cubby Bear for the first Cubs playoff game

MEMBER PLEDGEShow up to the Cubby Bear on Oct 1st between 2pm and 3pm and stay through the gameBut we will only do it if at least 401 people join by October 1, 2008

With the Cubs already in the playoffs and the White Sox on the verge of joining them, it looks like it's going to be a very interesting postseason! I don't know if Chicago will survive if they meet each other in the World Series!

Monday, September 22, 2008

When I decided to enter a scratchcard tournament at Tribe Cards, I figured I'd go a few rounds and end up losing to someone luckier than I. I had no idea that it would be one and done. It was a hard fought loss that went to the bitter end. I am better for the experience.

To keep those of us non-winners interested while the other action was continuing, David threw out quite a few trivia questions. They were tricky, but fun. I had a wonderful time seeking out the answers. I still felt that I was in competition, even though I never made it past the first round of the tournament. Bravo!

For my early exit and efforts in the trivia portions of the posts, I received this rather large pile of cards in the mail today. I certainly wasn't expecting this much, but David is a giving soul. Any numbered item, game-used item or autographed item, I would assume would be part of the tournament prizes. But you know what happens when one assumes. You make an ass out of you and Uma Thurman. Let's dig in!

Where do I even begin here? Well, this would be my first card of a game used base. That's really cool. The rest is just pure awesome! Thanks, David! You have run the best online scratchoff tournament I have ever played in! The prizes are awesome and the experience was a blast!

While nothing is absolutely set in stone, the second opinion on Crede was not good. Nobody is saying exactly what it said, but Ozzie said that Crede may be on a team next year... sitting things out.

Does this mean that Joe Crede's collecting stock will plummet? I hope not, but the outlook does not look promising. On the bright side, this may mean that I can now get Joe Crede rookies very cheaply. Anytime I can bolster my White Sox collection, on the cheap, is a great day for me.

It's too bad about Joe. I like Joe. He was part of a great number of Sox related memories for me. I blame his scum sucking agent, Scott Boras for the hushed tones from Crede's camp. Sure, Boras usually gets top dollar for less than spectacular talent. While doing so, he also bleeds his clients dry. Boras puts his clients in unnecessary situations and holds teams hostage. Short term, this may seem like a good idea. Long term, it's damaging to the reputation of anyone associated with him.

So long, Joe. It's been a slice having you on the South Side.

In the wake of Crede's news, the Sox have been slowly mounting a playoff run. Game by game, they seem to be inching their way into the postseason. The biggest test will be on Tuesday. The Sox face the Twins in a three game showdown that could decide the season, in Minnesota.

The Sox need to win at least one. If they can manage to sweep the Twins, which is no easy task, they will glide into October on a high. If the Sox get swept, you can see October hopes floating away. Anything can happen in the last week of the season. Sox and Twins fans are both bracing themselves for a great series.

You may have noticed the lack of posting over the weekend. Well, I took most of the weekend and spent it trying to track down Tracey's cousin in Resurrection Cemetery. Yes, the same one which supposedly is home to Resurrection Mary. I had the section number, the block number, the lot number and the grave number and we still couldn't find her cousin. Yet, we went to the cemetery next door and relying on 15 year old fuzzy memories, found her grandparents with no problem. Go figure.

The rest of the weekend was spent on Facebook, thanks to J.V.'s invitation. As some of you have discovered, I have contacted you as a friend, if I was sure of your identity. I'm shocked at how many people have the same names, even if isn't a terribly common name. I even found someone else with my name. If you seek me out on Facebook, I'm the one not pictured with a family for the profile picture. I won't be giving out that info on this site, but if we've become friendly enough to send non-trading related e-mails (and enough to know my last name) then look me up and I'll add you as a friend.

This may seem like a potpourri of information for a post that started about Joe Crede, but it always goes to show you. It's always something. If it's not one thing it's another. Goodnight Roseanne Rosannadanna.

Now, I pretty much knew what was coming, but reading it in e-mail and actually seeing it are two very different things. It doesn't seem like a lot, until you factor in the Heritage cards. Take those away and you still have a silk card to whet your appetite.

With the Heritage cards, it's hard to hit a lot of cards that I don't have. It always amazes me when a stack of cards arrive and they are all or mostly all cards that I don't have! There is only one Heritage card that I have. That would be the black back of Ichiro. The only reason that it is a double now, is that it showed up in a surprise package yesterday from Eric. With the handful of Heritage cards from yesterday's trade, I'm awestruck that only one overlapped with Dan's package.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Wow! I received yet another box from Eric! I think he's slowly sending me every card in existence featuring the White Sox.

I saw a nice small, tidy box on my windowsill, well after the mail carrier had gone. It was a substitute carrier, so not only was the mail late, but the box was hidden off to the side. If I hadn't gone out to pick up dinner for the family, I wouldn't have seen it.

I was having a so-so day, with little sleep, so this perked me right up. I saw one or two cards in the pile that I have never laid my eyes upon. The Bionic Bo Fun Pack card, I had never actually seen before. I love the cartoon aspect of the card!

Let's see what goodies arrived in the box!

I'm only listing what I needed for the collection. The want list will be updated tomorrow, with this list.

You gotta love Swisher's smile. I just wish his bat would get happy too.

2008 Baseball Heroes32 - Carlton Fisk (Red Sox)44 - Paul Konerko

2008 Baseball Heroes Black Parallel44 - Paul Konerko

2008 Goudey42 - Paul Konerko

2008 Topps457 - Josh Fields

The last card I need to complete the set!

2008 Topps Chrome79 - Paul Konerko

2008 UD First Edition238 - Juan Uribe288 - Heath Phillips

Last, but not least....

2008 Topps Heritage14, 35, 84, 129, 334

2008 Topps Heritage Black Back16, 61, 117

Talk about a great selection of cards that I needed! This of course doesn't include the cards that I already had. That stack was almost three times the height of this one. I'm amazed that I'm still getting cards knocked off my want list with seemingly random White Sox cards.

Thank you, once again, Eric! You are truly someone who is thoughtful! I will start stacking a new package for you. It may take a while, but it will get there.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

After slowly climbing the ladder of minor league levels, Jason Bourgeois finally made his MLB debut in 2008. His time may have passed to become a bonafide star, but he has the makeup to become a star backup utility player.

Jason is a big man, but don't let his size fool you. He can run. Jason was called up in September 2008, after infielder Chris Gets broke his wrist.

The only photos I could find of Jason were from Spring Training games. Even though he's been a few games with the Sox this year, I couldn't find any photos of him with the big club.

This photo was taken from a game against the Cubs. Jason is sliding in safely into second base.

OK, I agree that releases like 1991 Donruss would be more economical as kitty litter or attic insulation. Before you do these cost saving measures to your home, check to see if card number 534 is in your collection before you shred (or shoot).

That card would be Barry Jones. Barry is the last card I need to complete the White Sox team set. I'm sure that I've had my chances at this card, but completing early nineties overproduced team sets are usually way down on the priority list. I will not pay $1.00 plus shipping costs for a 5 cent card, on eBay.

After I get this one card, I would encourage everyone to shred their doubles of 1991 Donruss. Use them around the house. Here's a list of things to do with your old cards.

Maybe, if we destroy all but the essential copies of these cards, the value will skyrocket! Maybe, I'll get that SNL writing gig that I've always dreamed about. Maybe, I'll be lucky enough to win the lottery, even though I don't play.

Come to think of it, I don't think that any amount of cards that were destroyed would increase this set at all. I think that even if there were 10 copies of each card left, the entire set would still top out at $8.

OK, how many of you lost money by not knowing that Dan Pasqua hit the last triple in old Comiskey Park? Yeah, me too.

***Update***

I used a vintage list from a local paper from 1990 when compiling this list. Since then, Andy Hawkins no-hitter on July 1, 1990 has been declared not an official no-hitter. I honestly had forgotten about that ruling. The list has been updated to reflect that.

Monday, September 15, 2008

I picked up something today on a whim and I'm glad I did. It reminded me of Paul Konerko and old school type playing.

What did I pick up? The new Metallica CD, Death Magnetic. I feel like I'm listening to Metallica circa 1989. "The Unforgiven III" is the only misstep I have really heard. I think that James Hetfield has gone to the well one too many times with the Unforgiven theme. It's not too bad, but it feels out of place and forced compared to the rest of the album.

Paul Konerko and this album have many things in common. Mostly, a resurgence as of late to old form. Metallica is reminding me of the glory days, before all the ballads and awards and country music experiments. Paul Konerko has reminded me of the same man who belted out a grand slam in the 2005 Worlds Series. I just hope that the knee that was sprained a few days ago doesn't derail this great late season comeback.

I can say this for both. Even though they are not quite the same, they remind me of their glory days when they exhibited unlimited power and speed. Speed for Paul Konerko, you say? Yes. Speed. Paul Konerko has two infield hits during this late season power display. How about that? Speed out of the batter's box and a speed metal revival. Two surprises in unexpected places.

With K-Rod breaking Bobby Thigpen's record, it seemed like everyone was looking for Bobby to say something. Well, Bobby, in his own way, has broken the silence. I wouldn't expect anything less than this personal note that was sent to Rodriguez.

"Only a handful of major league relievers understand what it takes to reach the 50-save mark," Thigpen wrote. "Your record-setting season is an accomplishment you should treasure this year for and for years into the future. I am certain your record for saves will stand for many, many seasons to come."

Thigpen, who now manages the White Sox's rookie league affiliate in Bristol, Va., wrote that Dave Righetti sent him a congratulatory note after breaking the record the former Yankees reliever set.

"I wanted to continue that tradition with a note of my own to you," Thigpen wrote.

He closed the letter, which the White Sox distributed to the media, by writing, "I wish you continued success this season and with your outstanding career."

Paul has been one of the most consistent hitters that the White Sox have had in the new millennium. He usually goes through slumps during the season, but 2008 really took the cake. Konerko has had one of the worst hitting slumps in major league history.

From the start of the season until mid-August, Paul literally couldn't buy his way on base. A funny thing happened in August though. Konerko started to get really hot. He may be getting hot at the right time to carry the White Sox down the home stretch.

I chose this photo of Konerko because he looks like he's auditioning for a chorus line of some sort. I also like the way that he's looking up with optimism. The crowd also seems to be looking in the same direction. Maybe it was a long ball close to the foul line.

Sunday, September 14, 2008

First of all, congratulations to Carlos Zambrano for his no-hitter on Sunday night. I couldn't escape it, even watching the White Sox on ESPN. He's a great pitcher and rightfully deserves one.

Second of all, the same can be said for the White Sox themselves. They were rained out on Friday. Their doubleheader was rained out on Saturday. Then they swept a doubleheader on Sunday with virtually no break in between. Although, they blew a seven run lead, capped by a grand slam, only to be saved by a DeWayne Wise grand slam later in the game.

What have I been doing most of the weekend? Mopping water at a friends house and getting very little sleep. That's bound to happen with nonstop rain spanning three days. Oh well. The worst is over and I can finally get a decent night's sleep. I hope.

With all the mopping and catnapping, I've missed two opportunities to see The Big Lebowski on cable. My only hope is that The Big Lebowski kills me before the Germans can cut my... um, nevermind.

I know I'll catch it on cable at some point, from the beginning. Mostly because the Dude abides.

John is awesome! He sends unexpected packages of White Sox cards all the way from the UK. He deserves a round of applause for that.

OK, that's enough clapping. You need at least one hand free for scrolling.

This latest package came the other day. I was waiting to post it for a bit, since there were a few things on the schedule slightly ahead of this post. Plus, I wanted to distance this post from the other trade I got in the mail on the same day.

Out of 22 cards that I received, I needed 4. That's a pretty good blind ratio. As I make more trades and receive more cards, my lists are being filled rather nicely. Plus, I have a mountain of White Sox doubles to boot. I would have never imagined that I could get so many cards of White Sox players in less than a year. It's pretty amazing when I step back and look at the generosity of traders in this community.

In addition to the four cards that I needed I got a nice variety of nice doubles. Even a double from 1975! At the beginning of the year I had absolutely no cards from 1975. Now, I have my first double. Simply amazing!

Friday, September 12, 2008

What can be said about A.J. that hasn't already been stated? He knows how to squeeze the most out of a game. If he's on your team, you love him. If A.J. happens to be playing against your team, he is the most hated man on the field.

A.J. has a knack of getting into sticky situations and making them turn to his favor. He leaves everything out on the field. There are no regrets in his style of play. When things go awry, you can usually hear a teammate say, "That's another heads up play by A.J.".

I chose this photo of A.J. because he's sticking his tongue out. This is his reaction to a throw not getting a baserunner. You can see the emotion of each play in his face. He reacts, then moves on.

This is another thing that you don't normally find on a baseball card. The negative reaction. Usually if a player is showing any type of emotion, it's of the celebratory variety. Players are just like us, they have a wide array of emotions.

I love everything about this card! The angle of the slide. The foot in your face. The "I'm safe" pose. It's just a unique angle that you don't normally see on a baseball card.

I know it kind of a cliche, but I feel like I'm part of the action. This is just one great photo on a nicely designed card. I wasn't around for Luis Aparicio's playing days. The closest I came would be the end of his career, but I missed that by a few years. This makes me feel like I saw him play.

Growing up, I would hear these fantastic stories about Aparicio. On cards, I would see him in some sort of pose. I never got to appreciate one of the best aspects of his game, stolen bases.

Aparicio led the American League in stolen bases for nine consecutive seasons. From 1956 until 1964, no one was better in the AL. Talk about dominating an aspect of the game! This card makes me appreciate what is rarely shown from Luis, the art of the stolen base.

I was contacted by Chris last week about a possible trade. White Sox for Nationals. That sounded intriguing to me. There's not too much call for Nationals cards, besides the occasional Soriano or Kearns.

Imagine my surprise when I found that I didn't actually have as many Nationals cards as I thought I had. Apparently, I sold most of them off without realizing it.

Chris, who has been making the blog rounds with trade proposals, had found 60 White Sox cards for me. Anytime I can get 60 White Sox cards is OK by me. I scoured my boxes and came up with 60+ different Nationals cards to send out.

We would send random cards of each other's team blindly. I love a challenge like that! If they were a package full of doubles, so what. Let's throw caution to the wind and get crazy!

The problem with Nationals cards is that they've only been in DC for a few years. I have tons of Expos cards, but that's hardly the same. Or is it? I suppose it's the same for fans of the Brewers getting Pilots cards. They are nice and offer familiar faces, but they aren't quite Brewers cards.

I'm almost embarrassed to say that out of 60 White Sox cards, I found 6 that I actually needed. 6 is better than none, I would say here. I'm usually pretty lucky with blind trades. I only got 6, but those 6 were pure gold!

1999 Aurora #21 - Albert BelleA White Sox uniform in all the pictures, but an Orioles logo. This fits in with my collection perfectly! I love cards like these. I call them bonuses.

2005 Topps #339 AL Home Runs Leaders - Paul Konerko (Manny Ramirez, David Oritz)This is the last card that I need to complete my 2005 White Sox master team set! This is a glorious feeling!

2006 Ultra Gold Medallion #170 - Paul KonerkoI'm not really sure if I actually need this card. I'm too lazy to look it up right now. But I love gooooooold! These parallels are really awesome and I'm pretty sure that I need it.

2007 Upper Deck First Edition Momentum Swing #MS-JT - Jim ThomeThis card has alluded me no longer! It has a nice home with me now.

2008 A Piece Of History #109 - Donny LucySweet! Another card closer to completion!

2008 Finest #71 - Orlando CabreraIf I am not mistaken, this is my first 2008 Finest card. It sucks being laid off again. You can't buy really nice boxes of much. This is where trades come in handy!

Thanks, Chris! This was an awesome trade! I hope you fare better with the Nationals cards that I sent out. Maybe you'll find 7 that you'll actually need.

Rest assured, the doubles will not go to waste. I have plans for them. Big plans. OK, maybe an assortment of tiny plans, but plans nonetheless. There will be plans!

Hopefully, we can trade again, at some point. My Nationals stash will have to fill back up before that happens though.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Jerry has had some bad breaks in 2008. He was supposed to be the starting left fielder, until he was injured during Spring Training. Then his replacement, Carlos Quentin, produced monster numbers. So, with no room in the majors, Jerry was forced to play out 2008 in the minors.

Owens was called up in September when the rosters expanded. He has been in a few games and has responded well. His biggest contribution in 2008 is a perfectly executed suicide squeeze in a game against the Blue Jays on September 10th. Jerry is a player who does the little things and does them right.

I love this photo of Jerry Owens. I saw this in the game yesterday and knew I had to seek it out. I'm just lucky that someone was there to capture it. At this point of the at-bat, Jerry is down on one knee with the ball still a good ten feet away. This is exactly the style of play that is sorely missing from the 2008 team. Plus, Jerry almost beat it out. This is the type of play that can spark an offense.

On September 11, 2001, the White Sox had just gotten into New York the previous night from Cleveland.

Paul Konerko awoke in his hotel room and turned on the television. What he saw was indescribable. Then I imagine it hit him like a ton of bricks. Paul was in New York that morning. The White Sox were supposed to be playing the Yankees that night.

Paul turned off the television and went outside to get a better look. The Sox were in no immediate danger, but I'm positive that no one could be certain of that at the time.

The games were rescheduled for the first week in October. The White Sox went on to lose all three games. Not that it mattered much. The Sox were well out of the playoff hunt and the Yankees would go on to lose to Mark Grace and the Arizona Diamondbacks in the World Series.

Regarding that 2001 White Sox team, there are only three players still with the team. Paul Konerko, Mark Buehrle and Joe Crede. I'm sure that today, each one of them remembers what it was like in New York that day. Sometimes there are more important things in life than baseball, like life itself.

If anyone is curious, this is what I was doing on that day. I warn you, it's mundane.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Two more variations of this card and I would have my very own Warhol card collectible.

The other package I received in the mail on Friday was an unexpected envelope from dayf. This came as a complete surprise. Needless to say, dayf's pile o' cards keep getting bigger with each passing day.

I knew I was in for a treat, when the first bundle that came out of the envelope contained green tape with the word "Supplies!" on it. Green is my favorite color and I love any clever reference to UHF.

Nice selection! That really lifts my spirits right now. So many cool cards, so little room in the photo queue. There are a lot of great memories conjured up by this assortment. I had honestly forgotten about Edwin Almonte. How someone couldn't succeed with a name like Corwin Malone, I'll never know.

Thanks for the supplies, dayf! I'm sure there are more than a few that I need for the collection.